The present invention relates generally to pivot pins, more specifically to pivot pin locations, and most specifically to a pivot pin assembly.
When two members are pivotally related by a pivot pin secured to one of the pivotal members while the other member is rotatable on the pivot pin, high stress is placed upon the pin and pivot areas. Thus, the pivot pins, the apertures cut through the pivot pin support members, and other areas are very prone to wear causing undesirable play between the pivoting members. To reduce or eliminate this wear, prior to the present invention, it has been necessary to form the apertures through which the pivot pin extend with precision and with small tolerances. Such precision formation required expensive equipment and/or precision workmanship which was thus expensive in time, labor, and equipment. Thus, prior to the present invention, manufacture was very time consuming, expensive, and resulted in the production of many reject parts because of their failure to meet the high degree of tolerances required. Thus, a need has arisen for a pivot pin assembly which can be easily manufactured, does not require high tolerances, and does not require the expensive precison equipment or the precision workmanship required of the prior pivot pin structures.
Further, in existing machines where wear had occurred around the pin and pivot pin support areas, it was often necessary to replace these areas. However, often the apertures for supporting the pivot pins were located in structural components of the machine and thus were a major component of the machine thus making replacement costly, preventing replacement in the field, and requiring extensive periods of down time. Thus, a need has arisen for a pivot pin assembly for replacing worn pin and pivot pin support areas of existing machines easily in the field, without replacement of the major structural components, and inexpensively.